TMNT Spin Off: Bite in the Night
by Ravyne and Katt B
Summary: Ryu is brought up in a world taken over by a terrible Plague that is turning people into monsters...and who comes to save her...? Yep, you guessed it! Spin off of my original series "TMNT: Rise of the Dragon". Same characters, just different backgrounds, this is based off a dream I had a few months ago. (COMPLETE!) All critiques are welcome!
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to the Plague

**Author's Note:**

Hello again everyone. If you missed it, this is a spin off of mine and my co-writer, Ravyne's, TMNT series. I had a really weird dream a few months back and decided that it was time to have a small, fun project for myself. So I wrote this myself since Ravyne has been backed up with TMNT fanart. Let me know what you all think.

-Katt B.

* * *

 **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:**

 **Bite in the Night**

 **(TMNT Spin-Off)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

 _The world has changed from the one you know. The apocalypse destroyed it—a terrible plague that turned humans into mindless animals that fed on the blood of other humans. The plague spread like a wildfire, passed by either coming into close proximity of the infected or direct contact with them…meaning a bite or scratch._

 _So the people were sent to bunkers underground, the amount of protection you received depended on how much money you were willing to pay. I'm sure you can imagine how that panned out, right? All the rich people were sent to those shiny bunkers where they were fitted with protective suits and personal body guards and twenty-four hour watches while us poor orphans were sent out to the flat country side to hide away like cockroaches in all the old, rotten buildings._

 _I've been here almost nine years, transferred after I was infected when I was six. My best friend had been bitten while she had been outside when she wasn't supposed to be—she was in the room with me when she had started to change, I was too close. The doctors didn't really have a reason as to why I survived, but I did. The only change I sustained was my dark brown hair had turned a silver-white and I was blinded in one eye._

 _From then on I was made fun of; called names like grandma, and oldie, and granny-pants. It was a nightmare, but I dealt with it._

 _Now I'm out here in the middle of nowhere, living in this old rotten wooden building, and waiting for the end of the world to find us. That is…until the night that the plague found me once again. This time coming to finish the job._

* * *

I'm fast asleep, enjoying a wonderful dream, when something pokes me…annoyingly. I know this poke. I've been dealing with it for weeks now. I'm just about sick of it. "Sana, go back to sleep," I groan.

"No," Sana, a young girl of ten, whimpers behind my shoulder. I'm not sure how a sixteen year old like me got stuck with a ten year old as a bunk mate. And when I mean bunk mate, I mean literally. All the small rooms only have one bed, so all of us are forced to share rooms. Sana shakes my shoulder quickly again, "Did you hear that?!"

"Sana, it's just the wind. We are living inside an old church tower; it's going to creak and groan sometime," I pull the pillow over my head, ignoring the stab of the itchy pillow case against my cheek.

"No, it was something else this time, I swear. We have to go get the teachers."

I shove the pillow off my head with a growl and sit up, the thin sheet we're forced to have as a so-called blanket falling away from my shoulders and the cold air making me instantly shiver. "Sana, you know we have rules: after the curfew, we're not allowed out of our rooms."

"But there's something wrong, I know it!"

"That's what you said last week and we got sent to our room without food for a whole day. I'm sick of starving for your alleged 'gut feelings'," I narrow my eyes down at the smaller kid clinging to my arm. Her big, deep brown eyes are wider than normal with fear as she keep shifting her gaze from mine to the door on the wall at the foot of the bed uneasily. The room is so small that the bed touches both corners of one side of the room, only leaving about a foot between the bed post and the frame of the door, and the rest of the space is barely enough to fit a tiny two-drawer dresser. A single window allows a meek beam of moonlight into the room above the head of the bed where we sleep, but even that light can't touch the darkness that has soaked into this old tower.

"But!"

"Oh, enough. If we go see the teachers just so they can tell you the same thing that I've told you **and** get us in trouble all over again, would you please go back to sleep?" I hiss.

Sana nods quickly, climbing over me in such a hurry that she nearly crushes my foot, "Yes, yes, come on!"

With a heavy sigh of frustration, I pull the sheet off of me and force myself out into the cold. The old tower we live in used to be an old bell tower for the church attached to it, later added to by the nuns that came to refurbish it with side rooms and extra chambers for the poor that came for shelter to stay in. After the plague hit, though, the place was abandoned and the years of neglect left the tower rickety and put of date.

The bell was locked away in the top floor of the tower to keep anyone from messing with it and getting hurt. Now the teachers use the second highest floor as their own. That's where we'll have to go in order to settle Sana's fears and possibly get me a few more hours of sleep.

Sana takes my hand and pulls me towards the door, pausing her hand on the door handle. I stare at her angrily, "Open it already."

Sana starts whimpering again so I push her out of the way and open the door. Outside our room, everything is silent…like the grave. I have to admit, it is eerie, but that's what happens when people go to sleep: no one is awake to make any noise.

"Okay, let's go," I tell her, motioning for her to come out the door.

She doesn't move, "No, something is wrong. Something is really wrong."

"Geez, Sana, the only thing wrong here is that you woke me up in the middle of the night to go talk to the teachers and now you're freaking out because you're afraid of the dark. The only thing wrong here is that I should be asleep. Thanks a lot."

"No, please, Ryu. Please, you've got to come with me. I can't make it up the stairs without you," Sana grabs hold of my night shirt tightly as if I'm going to disappear.

I sigh. I can't really be mad at Sana. The poor kid was really the only one to ever really take to me. Most people avoided me because they still thought I was infected, despite the constant assurance from the doctors that I was clean. Sana is the only kid to ever give me a new name, one that wasn't meant to be insulting, but instead be a symbol of my birth into a new person. A symbol of hope that maybe there is a chance to survive the plague.

She said my hair reminded her of her stuffed dragon doll that she sleeps with every night; its body made up of silvery-white fur and pretty amber eyes. And so I became Ryu to her. It's just stuck ever since.

"Okay, come on," I whisper with a sigh as I take her hand and lead her over to one of the many stair cases that zig zag like a maze from floor to floor all up and down the center of the tower. Each level of the tower is made up of a floor that circles the outer shell of the tower, leaving the center an open invitation for anyone to fall from. There are banisters along the edges but some places have rotted through and fallen, leaving gaps of dangers for all.

This would be our home until someone came to transfer us all. As if that's ever going to happen.

We tip toe our way over to the old stairs, flinching at each creak, and slip through the shadows as we pass through each level of the tower. Sometimes, Sana would pull on my hand and look off into a direction, but I don't see anything that stands out of the ordinary. Just ordinary dark shadows.

At the highest level open to us, Sana pulls me to a stop, "Ryu, please!"

"What now?"

"Something's down there. Something moved," her voice is lowered to almost a hush, her body has gone stiff next to mine. Her grip on my arm has turned her knuckles white.

"Yeah," I roll my eyes, "Maybe a rat. They're all over the place here."

"No, look there."

I follow the direction she points: a dark corner by a stack of crates. A corner so dark that no even my vision can penetrate it. Abnormal, that's what it is. Within those shadows, just slightly glowing, a pair of red eyes stares back at me…sending a cold shiver down my spine.

"R-rat. Just a rat. Like I said," I stumble, grabbing Sana's hand and pulling her towards the teacher's hall. We both shut the door behind us and press our backs against it, sliding down it to sit on the floor with heavy sighs. "Okay…well…that was weird."

"Weird?" Sana climbs to her feet. "We have to tell the teachers now. Weird doesn't begin to describe this. Something is really wrong here."

"Yeah, yeah, you've been saying that all night," I breathe, trying the slow down my breathing. My mind is still back there on those red eyes I had seen. _Those were just rats, just rats, just rats!_

"Ryu…"

I raise my eyes off the floor between my feet. The hallway is dark but I can still see Sana just fine from the dim lanterns hanging on the walls. She's staring into one of the four rooms in the hallway, body frozen solid in its place. My heart stops in my chest as I slowly climb to my feet.

"What is it?" I call to her. Around me, the hallway suddenly feels like it's becoming smaller on me. Sana's breathing is quick and shallow in her chest, her face has gone pale. Well, as pale as her pretty mocha skin can. She lifts a shaky arm and points into the room. My skin goes cold and clammy in my palms.

Going to her side, I look around the corner slowly, fearing what I'd find inside. The room is empty, the bedding thrown aside acrimoniously and there are a few articles of clothing scattered here and there. I breathe an exhale of relief.

"Geez, Sana, don't scare me like that," I hiss.

"Then open your eyes for once. You know as well as I that there has been some weird stuff going on lately," Sana hisses back. "Kids have been transferred out randomly in the night, never heard from again, the doctors have been in and out left and right. Shall I continue?"

"Chill out. I get it. Some things have been out of place these last two weeks but…" I stare into the empty room. This time of night, everyone would be asleep; no one would be outside of their rooms. I glance behind me into the other room opposite this one. The insides are similar to this one, trashed. The nervous sweat starts sliding down the back of my neck. Where are the teachers?

"Ryu?"

Something hits the other side of the closed door we had come through and we both jump with a scream. Something scratches the door. My eyes widen in horror.

Nails. Like fingernails.

 ** _Hiiiissssss…_**

Sana sucks in air beside me, getting ready to scream. I clamp my hand down over her mouth and pull her further down the hall and into one of the other rooms used by the teachers. I pull her into a seating position on the floor around the corner and hold her still. She whimpers behind my hand, "What is it?"

"I don't know," I try to catch my breathing, heart hammering in my ears.

"Where are the teachers?"

"I-I…I don't know."

Sana's body goes cold in the circle of my arm, "W-what are we going to do?"

I bite back my 'I don't know', swallowing it sourly. What are we going to do? What could we do? I really don't know. I look down into Sana's pale face and wide, scared eyes.

 _I can't tell her that_ , I think. I wrap my arms around her tightly, hugging her into my side, and kiss the top of her head, "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So I hope everyone liked the first chapter. Please let me know if anyone spots any mistakes. I was so excited to get this posted that I rushed to upload it up.

-Katt B.


	2. Chapter 2: Attack

**Author's Note:**

So how was that for a first chapter? I know, it's confusing, but like I said, it's based off a dream I had and it was a really short dream. I'm actually lengthening it a bit, believe it or not, so that it's in more of a story format. Please let me know what you all think.

Thanks!

-Katt B.

* * *

 **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:**

 **Bite in the Night**

 **(TMNT Spin-Off)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

I'm fast asleep, enjoying a wonderful dream, when something pokes me…making me jump. I know this poke. I've suffered at the end of it for weeks. We jerk awake and sit up out of bed. This isn't my bed and this isn't my room.

And the anger raging over us isn't looking good. I drop my eyes and ball my hands up into fists at my sides, twisting the sheets up into my fingers. I want so much to hate Sana right now, but I know deep down that I can't. So I face the music and stand up in front of the teacher. He props his hands on his hips as he glares from the doorway, "Is there some good reason that you two are out of your room?"

Sana leaps to her feet beside me, "It was me, teacher. I pulled Ryu out of our room against her will because I was too afraid to come here by myself."

"You were out after curfew," he accuses, eyes narrowing further. Sana and I drop our eyes to the floor, guiltily. "This is the last straw. Both of you back to your room for the rest of the day; no meals."

"But-!"

"No buts," he cuts Sana off, throwing up a hand to stop her, "Both of you back to your room. Now!"

We both jump, bowing respectfully as we pass by to exit out of the hall way, but deep down I can't help the feeling that something terrible is going on right under our noses. Something sinister.

We close the door behind us and as Sana pulls away to head for the stairs, I freeze in place. The backside of the door is mutilated, covered in claw marks that are outlined in dried blood. Whatever had tried to get through last night was desperate…real desperate.

 _This can't be real_ , I think to myself, _The plague couldn't have changed someone…could it? We would've been alerted by now…right?_

We shut the door behind us and Sana collapses face down on the bed, I'm sure to suffocate herself in order to escape the humiliation to follow. I sit down a bit slower next to her and sigh. How to comfort a kid….hmmmm….

 _Guess I'll just do what my mom used to do for me_ , I think as I reach out and gently rub Sana's back. Her shoulders slump impossibly more into the mattress.

She mumbles something into the itchy blanket.

I lean over a bit, "What was that?"

She mumbles again, but this time I can hear her clear as day.

I grin, "Yeah, sorry, couldn't hear you."

Sana jerks straight up and screams right in my ear, "I'M SORRY!"

I flinch back away from her and rub my ringing ears, "Okay. I got it. Thanks."

"So," she whimpers, "What now?"

"What now?! Sana, we were just sent to our room **again** with no meals for a whole day. What else could possibly come next?"

"Well, we could…try and come up with some evidence to present to the teachers so they'll believe us."

I glare at the suggestion that comes out of her mouth, "I'll tell you what: you write down all that you remember while I get some more z's. Sleeping in a seating position for half a night is killer on the neck."

"But-!"

"Good night, Sana."

* * *

"Ryu…"

I pull away from the pokes. Always the pokes. Why is it the pokes? Why can't it ever be something, like, soft rubs on the shoulder or a warm stack of pancakes on a plate with warm, gooey maple syrup?

Speaking of food…my stomach is screaming at me, making me cringe up in the fetal position to ward off the cramps.

"Ryu."

I groan and reach for my pillow, the blanket, something to cover my head with. My hands find nothing; I growl louder.

"R-Ryu?"

"Uggg…whaaat…" I snarl.

Once more there's a poke on my shoulder and I jolt straight up. Sana flinches but then shoves a hand over my mouth. Around us, the room creaks and leaves scratch against our single window as they rush by.

 _Must be another storm again_ , I think. I then realize that Sana's hand is still clamped over my mouth and I glower down at her. She motions towards the door with her eyes and we both go quiet. At first there's nothing out of the ordinary outside of the storm noises. Leaves scratching, wind howling, tower creaking.

 ** _Hisssss_** **…**

Our eyes widen in alarm. We know that noise.

I dart my gaze out the window; the storm has darkened the sky outside but it can't be that late. I had just fallen asleep…

 ** _Scratch, scratch, scraaaatttch…_**

I leap up out of bed and Sana follows close behind, I lean over to whisperer, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long. Maybe an hour. Possibly two," Sana whispers.

 _Not too long then, but…,_ I have my thoughts cut off as the door is slammed into from the other side by some unknown force. A terrible, animalistic screech breaks the dark, making us both jump in surprise and clap our hands over our ears.

"We have to go, now!" I whisper under my breath and grab her hand, rushing towards the window. We're on the seventh floor, but with some smart thinking we could make it down. I shove the stiff window open, wincing as it cracks under my weight before swinging open on its rusted hinges. The night air is frosty, turning my breath white as my face. My eyes widen in horror as I stare down at the ground so far below; for some reason now the distance seems so much further than it ever has.

"What are we going to do?" Sana cries at my side, turning her eyes up from the ground to my face. Tears are already starting to fall down her cheeks. "Are we-?"

"No!" I stop the sentence before it can leave her mouth or form in her thoughts. "Hurry, now, and grab the sheets off the bed. Be as quiet as you can."

Again, something heavy hits our door, but this time the door groans, bending under the weight thrown against it. Horror pierces my heart, _That door won't hold._

Our hands trembling terribly, we work as quietly as we can to tie the sheets and blanket together into a sturdy rope, but as we start lowering it out of the window I realize that it's not going to be long enough to reach the ground. We would barely get to the third floor. A fall from there could be fatal for someone as small as Sana, and even me if I landed just wrong.

I'm left with no choice but to tie the sheets off to the leg of the small dresser we share, doing nothing but cutting a precious three feet off of climbable rope to use. My heart falls, this is going to be a long climb down.

"Ryu, I can't do this," Sana whimpers, "I'm scared."

I watch another tear roll down her face and my heart falls deeper. I reach out and rub her head, "Don't be. It's just like…like rope swing we have out at the oak tree in the back. Easy-peasy."

Sana grabs my hand tightly as we make our way back to the window sill, leaning over to judge the distance again. Nodding to her, I help her get a foot out the window and hold the collar of her shirt as she takes ahold of the rope of sheets. Edging down, she murmurs soft prayers under her breath while she inches her way down. The sheets tighten with Sana's weight and dig into the old wood of the window sill, making it creak.

I glance back over my shoulder as another heavy bang hits against the door, followed by anxious pacing beyond. The hisses and snarls are proof enough for me.

The plague has infected someone here.

And they're looking for their next target.

 _We're running out of time_ , I think in alarm.

I rush out the window, digging my nails into the sheets as I look down over my shoulder to glance at Sana. She's nearly down to the next story window, plenty of time for me to slide down a bit more so that I can't be seen from the-

The door crash open, followed by a terrible shriek like a feral animal, and I jerk my eyes back towards the window. My jaw goes slack.

Missy. The youngest orphan in our building of eight years old. Her pale blonde hair was nearly always in two braids on either side of her small head. Her bright green eyes, though shy, were always full of kindness and warmth.

Now that is no longer the case. This Missy is no more than an empty shell of a monster who runs on one basic instinct: kill.

Her blonde braids are picked loose, dyed at the ends with red stains; blood. Her green eyes have become a dull, lifeless red that almost looks like the rust that forms on old metal. The pupil is pretty much gone, dilated to a pin-point. She opens her pale mouth, blood pouring out as she does, and lets out another sickening scream of rage before barreling towards me. Reaching out, I watch as she swipes out with those cracked hands, stained with blood under those dark fingernails. I jerk back…not realizing until a moment later what it is that I've done.

I'm free falling through the air, down seven stories of building, to my death.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So I hope everyone is liking the story so far. Please let me know if anyone spots any mistakes. I was so excited to get this posted that I rushed to upload it up.

-Katt B.


	3. Chapter 3: Exit the Survivors

**Author's Note:**

Heads up! Last chapter! Yep, no lie. Read on!

Enjoy!

-Katt B.

* * *

 **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:**

 **Bite in the Night**

 **(TMNT Spin-Off)**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

 _The wind is nice_ , that's all I can think right this moment. I'm too tired to focus on anything else but this nice dream. I feel weightless, light, like I'm flying. The feeling is quite amazing after all those years of being grounded to that awful old building. I'm so glad to be out of there, free of being confined, free to just float here above the world amongst the clouds and sunshine.

It's been so long since I've seen sunshine this beautiful, but it's so bright. I pull open my heavy eye lids carefully, blinking back the brightness carefully until my eyes can adjust. I'm so high up, everything looks so very small from way up here.

 _I guess I did die_ , I wonder sadly, _I guess heaven really does exist._

Is this what it feels like to have wings? I pull my eyes open wider and slowly but surely my brain begins to wake up too, noticing small things that hadn't been there before.

One being that my wings are not on my back and, two, being the wings are not mine. The next thing to come to my attention is the terrible whining noise coming from the wings. As my vision sharpens, I notice that the wings aren't exactly…normal; they're made out of cloth and metal rods. Obviously homemade.

 _What the heck?!_ I freeze up, coming to full awareness in a flash as I sit up off the hard stone substance under my body.

"Hey! What the-!"

I'm even more startled by the voice that protests against my sudden movements, but my body begins to tumble head over heels so abruptly that I don't have time to react. The wind rushes past me, roaring in my ears as I free fall to my death far below. My screams fill the air around me but I can hardly hear them past the howl of the gale streaming past me at an impossible speed. I squint open one eye in an attempt to find out just how further I have to fall before I die, but I'm not facing towards the ground. I'm staring straight up at the sky, straight into a pair of striking green eyes; my breath catches in my throat.

It's a turtle. _He's_ a turtle. I'm not sure how I know he's a guy, but I do. He's flying down after me, an angered look in his eye, and his arm is stretched down after me anxiously. I turn to find out just what has him so freaked out and my heart stops in my chest.

"AHH!" my voice rings out, clawing at this inside of my throat, and I frantically reach up for his hand. It throws me off balance, spinning me head over heels, but something grasps my ankle tightly and stops my tumble. I jolt to a sharp stop in mid-air and squeeze my eyes shut.

My body doesn't collide with the ground like I expect…I open my eyes…and scream. The rocky earth is not three inches from my nose.

The hold around my ankle fights against my squirms in protest but I fall anyway, nearly landing on my neck in the process. I wince at the pain that shoots through my head as I hit the hard earth and roll down the short hill and into a tree.

I sit up and rub the back of my head with a groan. Something heavy lands on the ground around me…three heavy objects…all that head in my direction the second they land. I tear my gaze open and look up as I back up against the tree as close as I can get. It's dead now, not much use, but I'll take what I can get from these creatures.

They're all turtles, one taller than the other two, and they all wear what looks like homemade armor and colored masks over their eyes. The one who saved me wears a red mask that hangs over the sides of his face like war flags and a hood over his head. The armor he wears is all white—the hood, the bindings on his wrists, hands, and feet, the bag on his back, his belt, and his elbow and knee pads. The other turtles wear similar white armor, though in different styles, but they stand a good distance away from me whereas the red turtle storms right up and grabs my arm tightly with a jerk.

I flinch away from him as his face comes right into my personal space, "Are you nuts?! Why would you willingly jump from the one who saved your skinny-?!"

"Raph!"

The grip on her arms strengthens, my eyes burn. One of the other turtles steps forward, the one wearing the blue masks, and pulls back on the red turtle's shoulder to get him away from me.

"Back off! You're scaring her!"

"So-?"

"Enough, you two. Take it somewhere else," the tallest turtle, wearing a purple mask, kneels down in front of me and I pull back as I cradle my bruised arm against my side. "Oh, wait, no, it's okay. Calm down. We're not going to hurt you," he holds his hands up in surrender when I glare at him.

I jab a finger at my arm in disbelief and he laughs sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry about that. Raph is an…act first…kind of person."

I raise an eyebrow, glancing at the red turtle and then back, "P…person…?"

"You got something to say?!"

The blue turtle grabs the red turtle when he tries to ram forward, "Raph, cool it!"

My eyes stare wide eyed at the red turtle's abrasive act in straight up horror, "O-okay, look, I'm sure you…" I eye them and choose my next words carefully, "Guys…are…really cool, but…I'm gonna go…"

"Hold on!" the purple turtle grabs my hand as I start to climb to my feet and stops me gently.

"No way," I pull away and stumble to my feet, "I don't want anything to do with the plague. Just tell me which direction my home is and I'll be on my way."

"Plague?!"

"Raph, shut up!" the blue turtle orders with another solid push on his comrade's chest. The red turtle, Raph, sits down on a nearby boulder and crosses his arms with a _huff_. The blue turtle turns back to me and finally introduces himself, "Look, miss, I think we all got off on the wrong foot here. So let's start this over. Hi, I'm Leonardo—Leo for short—and these are my brothers Donnie and Raph. And you are…"

"Leaving," I reply as I spin on my heel and turn in some random direction to start walking, hugging my arms around myself as I go. My right arm, stings from the movement where the red turtle had grabbed me, but I ignore it. I can't stay here, not around these obviously infected…people. I have to get back, I have to find Sana…

Sana…where could she be now? Is she safe? Did she make it down the rope? Did she escape? I squeeze my eyes shut against the hot tears that burn at the back of my eyelids. I'm a terrible roommate.

"Wait, hold on, please!"

"What?!" I squeak anxiously, continuing to walk on across the dead, rocky world that stretches on and on in all directions around me. The blue turtle, Leo, jogs up next to me and matches my pace; I ignore him to keep my anxiety from breaking me out into tears.

"Look, I'm really sorry we scared you, but we're not going to hurt you. I mean, sure we're walking…talking turtles, but I can explain that. We were test subjects, you see, and-."

"Wait! Y'all were humans?!" I scream and halt to a stop in horror. He throws his hands up and waves them frantically.

"No, no! We were turtles. Scientists were brought together from all corners of the globe in order to fight the plague. They started testing trial runs of an antidote on animals, which were all failed experiments that created things…like us," Leo shrugs with a guarded smile. The purple turtle comes up behind him and continues for him, grabbing his brother's shoulder comfortingly.

"The scientists eventually became greedy and started hording all their research to themselves…"

I eye the purple turtle curiously, "You…you think that they have the antidote?"

"They have to by now. No trial medicines have come out for test runs in nearly a year. All the local doctors are being forced to use the old tests meds that hardly even fight off the beginning symptoms of the plague; it only seems to be slowing down the process. Eventually though…"

I nod slowly and drop my eyes, "They still turn."

A deep silence takes hold of the circle we stand in; obviously we all have lost someone to this horrible plague. That's none of my business though. I've learned not to talk about anything dealing with the plague. People take it offensive nowadays.

"So…where are the scientists now? Are they even still alive? Who knows if they weren't taken by the plague like everyone else who has been," I point out.

"They've holed themselves up in their personal bunker at TCRI," the red turtle, Raph, grumbles from the back of the group with his arms crossed.

"TCRI?" I ask.

Leo takes out a small device, surprising me since I thought all electronics had been rendered useless since the Surge, and then flips it around so I could see the screen on the other side. A tall building stands high and proud amongst the deserted city once called New York. After the plague hit and countless began turning, many people left the populated areas for more rural ones where there would be less chance of running into any plagued humans that could bite them.

Leo points to the screen, "TCRI is this building here. It's almost dead center of the city from what we can judge from old maps that we have."

"So…if there is a cure, it would be there."

I look up at Raph when he growls out the statement. He stares off at the horizon where the sun has started to lift higher in the sky like a fire ball.

"And you guys…were made there?"

"Yes, we were once regular turtles that they used in an experiment medicine, but it…mutated us, I guess you could say, into what you see now," the purple turtle, Donnie, explains.

"Why did you leave?"

The turtles all stiffen up at her words, glancing between themselves nervously before turning back to her.

"What?" I urge. "I think I deserve some kind of knowledge about you guys since you kidnapped me from my home."

"We didn't kidnap you," Raph snarls through his teeth.

"Stop!" Leo groans, rubbing his forehead in obvious exhaustion.

Donnie steps up to my side and motions towards a nearby boulder; an obvious invite to sit. I sit down slowly and he takes a seat next to me before opening his mouth, "Miss…uh…"

"R-Ryu," I start, "You can call me Ryu."

"Well, Ryu, we left for the same reason that we explained. The scientists started keeping their research away from the public, almost as if they were refusing to help. Some things happened and…well…" he pauses and stares down at his hands, lost in thought.

"We escaped."

I look up to see Raph glaring down at me. "Escaped? You make it sound like y'all were being held prisoner there or…were being threatened or something."

They all go silent again for a brief moment before Leo cuts it short, "Let's discuss this in a more private and secure place…okay? The general is waiting for us back at headquarters."

I raise an eyebrow, lost all over again, _General…Headquarters?_

Raph pulls a cord on the side of the pack on his back and the home made wings flip out with a _snap_ that makes me jump in surprise. Donnie and Leo follow suit with their packs as well and I leap to my feet.

"Hold on, we can't just go. I have to find Sana! I can't leave her! She's my responsibility. I can't leave her behind! I can't-!"

Donnie grabs hold of my shoulders and gives me a gentle shake, "Calm down. If you're talking about the small girl that was climbing down the building with you…she's already been taken care of. Our other brother flew on ahead with her to headquarters; there was no way we could fly as slow with her as we did with you. Not in her condition."

The words drop a heavy darkness over my heart as Leo steps up to wrap an arm around my waist, preparing to pick me up, "S-stop…what…w-what do you…mean? What are you saying?"

My voice starts to shake as Donnie takes my shoulder sternly. He opens his mouth and I'll never forget the words that he says to me. I'm not prepared for the dagger that pierces my heart.

"She was bitten."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So...what did you think? Please let me know if anyone spots any mistakes. I was so excited to get this posted that I rushed to upload it up.

-Katt B.


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